When the Husbands Are Away
by NansJns
Summary: The wives will play! When the guys head off for a weekend training trip, their wives decide to have a night on the town! Even so, their husbands are never far from their minds. Originally written as a birthday gift for my friend Serina Tsuki.


All right, for the umpteenth-time, I don't own DBZ and I'm making no money!

When the Husbands Are Away. . .

by

NansJns

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_You lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'cause you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me!_

"Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion

Goku barely dodged the ki ball that was aimed at his head. The basket-ball sized globe of light whipped around the room and flew at him again, but Goku avoided it a second time and then lunged at its controller, Vegeta, who released the focused energy to block the attack. The ball hit the wall and dented it as the two combatants blurred out of sight. Vegeta's right fist flew at Goku, but missed as he ducked, and smashed through the wall instead. Vegeta scowled as he realized his arm was stuck, and yanked back so hard he took a large section of the metal wall with him. Goku looked at the chunk of metal wrapped around the Saiyan Prince's arm and broke up laughing.

"Shut up, Kakkarot!" Vegeta roared as he disintegrated the metal and attacked again. The battle continued to escalate until one ki blast clipped the gravity machine. The device began to sputter and spit sparks, and the twosome came to a halt and landed in front of it. "Damn it!" Vegeta growled as he looked it over. He switched it off and the gravity returned to normal. "It's not badly damaged, but the settings are shot. It won't maintain the right level of gravity." Vegeta grumbled as he examined the burned wires that were left exposed in the melted metal the ki beam had hit.

"Rats. Oh well, I wouldn't mind doing a little training outside, anyway," Goku shrugged lightly. "The extra gravity is good, but this place can be a little stifling, know what I mean?" Vegeta was quiet for a moment, then gave a short nod.

"You have a point, Kakkarot," Vegeta said. "I haven't gone on a training trip in a long while."

"We could take the boys along, too," Goku offered cheerfully. "We can find someplace secluded, so no innocent bystanders get hurt, and just really go at it!"

"A few mountains for target practice would be good," Vegeta observed to himself quietly. The plan snowballed from there. Goku told Krillin about it, and he decided he'd join them, and Piccolo dropped by to say he was in too.

"So, how long will this trip last?" Chi-Chi asked as she watched Goku pack. He looked up at her and smiled.

"From Friday to Sunday. Just a long weekend, Honey. Don't worry," Goku dropped the last orange training suit into his bag and zipped the duffle up. "This trip is just to stretch a bit, and wait for the gravity machine to be fixed."

"We're ready, Dad!" Gohan said as he and Goten stepped into the room with their own duffle bags slung over their shoulders.

"This is going to be fun!" Goten grinned. "Gohan's taken me camping before, and it was fun, but with a big ol' group of us it'll be even better!"

"Yeah!" Gohan nodded.

"Well, why don't I go with you?" Chi-Chi suddenly said, and they all turned to look at her. "I mean it. I could stand a little training myself, and I haven't been on a camping trip in ages." Chi-Chi smiled at her family, who, all at the same time, looked like they thought it was a good idea and started to say so, then pulled back and frowned as they rethought it. Chi-Chi stared at them for a moment, wondering how they had managed to do that.

"Umm, I don't think that's a good idea, Chi-Chi," Goku shook his head.

"Yeah, this is going to be serious training of the landscape-deconstruction kind. You wouldn't be able to keep up," Gohan gazed at his mother evenly.

"More importantly, you could get hurt! I'd love to have you along, but it just wouldn't be safe," Goku gently placed his hands on her shoulders and felt a soft twinge in his heart at her disappointed look.

"Sorry, Mommy," Goten looked sad for her.

"It's all right. You're right, I wouldn't be able to keep up," Chi-Chi forced a smile. "I'll be okay." Goku pulled her into a hug.

"We'll be back before you know it, Sweetheart," he promised her. Chi-Chi walked her family out of the house, and with a round of goodbye kisses, they blasted off for parts unknown. Chi-Chi sighed deeply and turned to head back into the house, but before she got three steps a car horn caught her attention. She turned and watched as Bulma pulled up in her air car.

"They left you behind, too, huh?" Bulma sounded testy as she climbed out of her car.

"Yeah. I'm not really surprised, though. But why are you here?" Chi-Chi answered as Bulma walked up to her.

"Well, I thought. . ." Bulma started, and then 18 dropped out of the air to land beside them.

"Hi, guys!" she said with a friendly smile.

"18? Are you going on the trip too?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Nah, it was shaping up to be a boys - and asexuals - trip only," 18 frowned a bit. "I just thought that maybe we could do something together. No need for us to wait around the house by ourselves."

"Great minds do think alike! I was just telling Chi-Chi, I figured we could have ourselves a night out! I know a great nightclub; it has a restaurant in the back with some soundproof walls, and a bar with a large open place for dancing, and live bands on occasion," Bulma said, smiling widely.

"Sounds great!" 18 nodded.

"Let's do it!" Chi-Chi agreed.

"Now, we'd better get ready. We can't go to a trendy night spot dressed as we are. We'll meet here at six, okay?" Bulma said.

"Right!"

"See you then!"

The hours went by quickly, as they showered, dressed and styled. Chi-Chi chose a dark purple dress with a skirt that ended just below her knees and a three-inch slit on the right leg. The collar was wide and square, and it had quarter sleeves. To this, she added black, open-toed one-inch heeled shoes, gold earrings and a gold necklace with a braided chain. She curled her hair, put on some lipstick and a touch of eyeshadow, and smiled at the completed picture. 18 put on a sleeveless red dress with a high collar and a skirt a few inches above her knees, with the addition of long black gloves, black heels, dangling earrings and her swan-pendant necklace. She left her hair alone and put on some makeup. Bulma found a sea-green gown with an almost-off-the-shoulder collar, a skirt above the knee, and full sleeves. White, two-inch heels, pearl earrings and a pearl necklace, some pearl clips in her blue hair, and just the right amount of makeup completed the ensemble. When the threesome met back at Chi-Chi's house, they stopped to admire each other for a few moments.

"If our husbands could only see us now!" 18 chuckled. "Krillin wouldn't be able to speak for a few moments!"

"Goku would just smile and say something like, 'Wow, Chi-Chi, you look great!'" Chi-Chi fingered her hair unconsciously.

"Vegeta wouldn't say anything, but his eyes would flash and he'd be fighting to keep from grinning," Bulma said with a grin of her own.

"So, Bulma, where's this club?" Chi-Chi looked to her friend brightly.

"Downtown. Let's get going - tonight, we party!" Bulma declared, and 18 and Chi-Chi let out a small cheer. They all piled into Bulma's car and drove off into the night.

Bulma put her car back into its capsule when they arrived at the club. The nightclub, charmingly named "The Treasure Chest", had a bright yellow sign over its door and a large, intimidating-to-some bouncer in front of the door. Despite the head of height and several pounds he had on the three ladies, none of them could find him overly threatening. Being married to the most powerful men in the universe and being a super-powerful android just altered one's point of view on such things. They breezed past him easily, with him smiling and nodding as he checked their IDs. They strolled in and found themselves surrounded by dancing bodies and loud music. They noted fairly quickly, as they headed for the tables that marked the restaurant part of the club for dinner, that the music wasn't quite as loud as they thought it would be. They were seated within a few minutes and started checking out the menu. The soundproof walls around the area absorbed much of the sound that came near it, making it quiet enough to actually talk.

"The soundproofing is impressive. You'd never know there was music blasting twenty feet away," Chi-Chi observed as she glanced around.

"I know. That's part of the reason I like this place so much," Bulma answered with her eyes on the menu. "Hmmm, all-you-can-eat ribs. . .that sounds good."

"I thought the chicken breast sounded tasty myself," 18 tapped the menu lightly with one fingernail.

"I think I'll go for the top sirloin," Chi-Chi said.

"Pork or beef ribs?" Bulma murmured to herself. 18 suddenly chuckled, and Chi-Chi and Bulma glanced at her curiously.

"Sorry, but I just had the thought of what a disaster it would be for some restaurant with an all-you-can-eat deal if Goku and/or Vegeta decided to take advantage of it," 18 explained, and watched Chi-Chi and Bulma dissolve into laughter.

"They'd go bankrupt!" Bulma said between laughs.

"There wouldn't be anything left in the whole place! All of that evening's food, gone for a mere $5.00!" Chi-Chi giggled gleefully.

"10, if Vegeta's with him - but that'll make it worse, 'cause the food will disappear twice as quick!" Bulma added, and they laughed helplessly for a few minutes until their waiter walked up. He was a young man in his early twenties, with pale green hair and brown eyes, and he smiled politely at his three new customers.

"Hello, Ladies. Can I get you some drinks?" he asked.

"I'll have a glass of White Zin," Chi-Chi said.

"I'll have your best red wine," Bulma said.

"And I'll have a glass of blackberry wine," 18 finished.

"All right. Are you ready to order now, or shall I wait?" the waiter scribbled on his pad, and the women ordered their meals. He wrote that down too, asked to customary questions about side orders, and then went to deliver the order to the kitchen.

"Mm, so, where were we?" 18 turned back to Chi-Chi and Bulma.

"Making fun of our husbands' appetites," Chi-Chi answered.

"Oh, right. On a connected subject, sort of, does it bother either of you that they just up and decided to take off for a weekend?" 18 asked calmly. Bulma and Chi-Chi looked thoughtful as they pondered the question.

"A little, I guess. Vegeta used to disappear on trips all the time when he was first staying with me at CC, but at least he told me he was going this time," Bulma finally shrugged. "He and Trunks needed to get out and stretch a bit, anyway."

"What bothers me is that there was a time I could've gone with them and kept up. They've all left me so far behind. . .to be honest, that's part of the reason I always hated letting Gohan go and fight. There I was, letting my baby go into danger, while I stayed behind and did nothing," Chi-Chi dropped her eyes a bit.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Bulma sighed. "At least Goku is liable to show he's sorry for leaving you alone for the weekend. If Vegeta feels sorry, he never shows it."

"Yeah, Goku's good at apologizing," Chi-Chi agreed. Their drinks arrived and they each took a few sips. "Goku hates seeing me upset."

"Probably because you're scary when you're upset!" Bulma giggled as she took another drink of her wine.

"No, I'm scary when I'm mad. Upset can be different," Chi-Chi shook her head. "For instance, a few years ago, Goku and I got into a big fight that ended up with me tossing him out of the house for a while. I started crying, and I heard him run off. He didn't come back until late in the evening. . ."

Goku had entered the house cautiously, and when Chi-Chi came up to him, he quickly handed her a large bouquet of fresh flowers wrapped in gold paper and tied with a shiny red ribbon.

"Goku, what. . .?" Chi-Chi had gasped as she took the flowers.

"Chi-Chi, I'm really sorry I upset you and made you cry. I didn't mean to," Goku had said, and then tilted her head up to look at him. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course! I'm not mad anymore, I was starting to get worried about you," Chi-Chi smiled and let him hug her. "Whatever made you think to get me flowers?"

"Uh, well, actually, I sort of met this old man who'd been married for fifty-five years who said he knew how to handle an angry wife. He said that when I go home, I should bring a peace offering so I could get a word in edge wise. He said he hated to see a young man so torn up over hurting his wife without meaning to," Goku explained with a small blush. "I spent the whole afternoon going through the forest finding the best flowers, and then I had to go to town to find some paper and ribbon."

"Goku, you are too much," Chi-Chi chuckled into his chest, and he smiled down on her head.

Chi-Chi smiled dreamily. "He's so sweet."

"Lucky you. Vegeta almost never apologizes, and he's only given me _a_ flower, and only once. He left it on my night stand and set my alarm clock to go off so it'd be the first thing I saw," Bulma finished her glass and asked the passing waiter for another one.

"Well, that's sweet too," Chi-Chi offered a small smile.

"Krillin. . ." 18 started, but she was momentarily drowned out as a group of waiters began singing at a nearby table.

"Happy, happy, birthday, happy, happy, birthday, happy, happy, birthday, Serina! Happy, happy birthday to you!" they all sang loudly, clapping to keep the beat. When they finished, 18 continued talking.

"Krillin always apologizes pretty quickly. I think, somewhere deep down, he's still surprised he has me, and he's afraid he'll lose me," 18 looked thoughtful as she finished her own glass. Chi-Chi quickly followed, and the waiter brought new drinks all around.

"Well, his track record with women before you wasn't all that great, you know," Bulma observed as she took a drink. She was starting to feel a bit buzzed, but it wasn't serious.

"Maybe not, but it's not like I'm ever going to leave him," 18 shrugged, the relaxing affect of the alcohol spreading through her body. "I love him so much." Bulma and Chi-Chi nodded, and then their dinner began arriving, salad first.

"I know what you mean, 18. I may get mad at Goku sometimes, but he's my heart. I always felt a little lost while he was gone," Chi-Chi sighed quietly.

"Here, here. Vegeta may act like a total jerk, but that's just a facade. He told me once, he was hollow with out me. He did!" Bulma stated before popping another bite of salad into her mouth.

"You're drunk," 18 said, sounding more like a question.

"A little bit, yes. But he said it," Bulma sipped her wine.

Out in the forest, the training Z-fighters had settled down for their own dinner, when Goku and Vegeta got strange looks on their faces. Across the bond, they could feel the slight intoxication of their wives.

"What is that woman doing?" Vegeta muttered.

"Is Chi-Chi drinking?" Goku blinked in surprise.

"Dad? What's up?" Gohan asked as he studied his father's face.

"Chi-Chi's a little drunk," Goku answered before he thought twice.

"So's Bulma," Vegeta added before Trunks could say anything.

"Do you suppose they're together?" Goku looked at the Prince, who shrugged.

"Possibly," Vegeta observed.

Back in The Treasure Chest, a trio of young men were heading for the restaurant when they spotted Chi-Chi, Bulma, and 18.

"Hell-o! Check it out, guys!" the leader motioned towards the women, and his buddies whistled.

"Not bad, not bad at all!" one of them said, and all three sauntered over to the lovely prizes they had just spotted.

"Hello, ladies. Need some company?" the leader asked sweetly, and was glared at in response.

"No, thanks. We're plenty of company on our own," 18 said shortly.

"Ah, come on, we're nice guys, you'll like us," the second guy said, smiling at Chi-Chi.

"It's a crime for three beautiful women to be left all by themselves," the third guy all but purred at Bulma.

"Well, thank you for the complement, but we're all _married_," Bulma turned away from the men.

"And we're all _mothers_, too. So back off," Chi-Chi snapped, and the threesome stared at them wide-eyed. 18 nodded, and the three men backed off very quickly.

"Enjoy your meal, and have a nice evening!" the leader said before they made tracks.

"Wow, that was easy," Chi-Chi observed as she took another drink.

"I'll say. Oh, well, you can't blame them. We do look great, and our husbands aren't with us," 18 pointed out as she sipped her wine. By the time the main course arrived, they were all just a little tipsy. They succeeded in eating gracefully by eating slower than normal, but by the end of the meal they had all had at least three glasses of wine each, and were well on their way to being fully plastered.

"So, 18, tell us. . .what's the sweetest thing Krillin's ever said to you or done for you?" Chi-Chi asked cheerfully, her face just a tad flushed.

"Hmm, that'd have to be. . .when he told me I wash. . was. . . his angel," 18 giggled. "Oh, I'm starting to shlur! And what about you guys, huh? What's the sweetest things Goku and Vegeta have said or done?"

"You're not the only one shlurin', shister! But, lemme think. . ." Bulma went through her wine-relaxed brain for an answer.

"Oh, I don't hafta think about it, I know. Goku told me, that for the entire seven years he was dead, every morning he'd wake up and roll over to kiss me good morning, but of course I wasn't there. He could never 'member I wasn't gonna be there, and several times he cried from missing me so much, just lookin' at the empty half of the bed where I shoulda been," Chi-Chi smiled widely at the memory of the words. "That, or the time when I wash real sick and he took care of me and made up a special lullaby just for me."

"Wow, that'sh pretty good," 18's eyes were wide with how impressed she was.

"I guess the sweetest thing Vegeta ever said to me was that he didn't feel like he'd given me enough in return for everything I'd given him. That all he had to offer was his love, and it jusht didn't feel like enough," Bulma said as she finished her fourth glass.

"Bulllma, you're gonna get swacked if you keep drinkin' like that," Chi-Chi warned her, and Bulma replied with a drunken grin.

"I _think_ it's already too late for that," she said, and then giggled. "You realize we've talked 'bout nothin but our hushbands since we got here?"

"We've got interestin' husbands to talk about!" 18 defended their conversation, and they all laughed again.

"And you know what? We've been saying what great guys they are, 'stead of complaining about how they left us alone!" Bulma continued.

"Well, I could never stay mad at Goku very long, anyway," Chi-Chi shrugged.

"You know, I can't imagine how you felt, gettin' Goku back after sh-seven years," 18 had to concentrate on each word to make them come out clearly.

"I couldn't describe it, either. Wonderful and amazing and wrenching. I wanted to cry, scream, laugh, and sing, all at once. I wanted to hold him and be held forever, never let 'im go again. I never wanted him out of my sight for more than a few minutes," Chi-Chi sighed. 18 and Bulma nodded knowingly. "I suppose to some that might sound selfish."

"Not to us, Chi-Chi. Not to us," Bulma gave her a small hug around the shoulders.

Vegeta and Goku kept shaking their heads. Even with their mental barriers up, the heavy drunk feeling coming from their mates was affecting them. They felt relaxed mostly, but they could tell how out-of-it Bulma and Chi-Chi were. They had finally opened the bond completely so they could know where their mates were a while ago, and were subsequently a little uneasy.

"Is Mom okay, Dad?" Goten asked.

"Pretty much - just very, very. . . relaxed and happy. I just hope none of them try to drive while they're like that," Goku sighed and ran his fingers through his black hair.

"Is Mom really drunk?" Trunks watched his father carefully.

"Yes. . .what was she thinking?" Vegeta muttered to himself.

"At least 18 is safe at home," Krillin sighed lightly. Goku and Vegeta looked at him for a moment, but said nothing. When they had checked their mates' minds for their location, they had also managed to pick up that 18 was with them. Piccolo shook his head.

"What is with you people and alcohol?" he asked lowly. No one answered him.

"Hey, how much do Sh-Saiyans have to drink before they get drunk?" 18 asked out of the blue.

"Dunno. Never seen it happen. I've seen Goku have three whole glasses and not be buzzed at all," Chi-Chi shook her head and shrugged.

"Same here. Never seen Vegeta drunk. On the other hand, it probably isn't a good idea for them to get drunk, anyway," Bulma watched as people danced nearby. "Vegeta can dance, did you know that?"

"Vegeta? No way!" Chi-Chi frowned and gave Bulma a small push in the arm. "I know Goku can dance, but Vegeta?"

"That's a joke, right?" 18 added.

"Nu-uh. Vegeta can dance, and he's real good at it, he just refuses to do it in public," Bulma stated as firmly as she could.

"Well, that shounds like him," 18 shrugged and polished off her last glass of wine. Chi-Chi glanced at her watch and stared.

"Holy cow! When did it get to be 10 o'clock?" Chi-Chi gasped.

"Ten? That can't be right. We got here at around six-thirty, and we haven't been here that long!" Bulma objected. 18 checked the clock on the wall and balked.

"It is ten! Where did the time ago?" 18 was utterly bewildered.

"I guess we'd better get home," Chi-Chi said, and they all stood up slowly.

"Hm, okay, we're aalll too drunk ta' drive safely," Bulma observed as they swayed where they stood.

"I could try to fly ush home," 18 offered.

"Mm, I don' think that's such a good idea. It's not shafe to drive drunk, an' it's probably not shafe to fly drunk, neither," Chi-Chi shook her head and was overcome with dizziness for a moment. It took a couple seconds for the world to stop spinning before her eyes.

"You're right - we could hit somethin'," 18 gave a nod.

"Like a plane," Bulma said.

"Or a air car," 18 added.

"Or a goose!" Chi-Chi declared cheerfully, and then fell into a fit of giggles. "I say we call us a taxi," she said when she got herself back under control. Their young waiter walked up to them casually and took in how drunk they were. He kept his face straight, but inwardly his stomach twisted at the thought they might try and drive while they were like that.

"Would you ladies care for anything else before you go?" the waiter asked as he watched them warily.

"Could. . .you call us a taxi? We can't drive like this," Chi-Chi asked simply. The waiter let out a small breath of relief.

"Gladly, Ma'am. I'll tell them to pick you up out front, all right?" the waiter smiled at them, and they nodded and smiled in return. They carefully made their way to the door, wobbling ever so slightly, and stepped into the cool night air.

"You know, It's a kinda long drive back to my house," Chi-Chi said as she rubbed her arms for warmth.

"And a long way to Roshi's island," 18 said.

"So why don't we all just go to Capsule Corp.! You guys can go home in the morning," Bulma offered.

"It'll be like a slumber party!" Chi-Chi giggled again.

"Yeah!" 18 and Bulma giggled with her. After about twenty minutes, a cab pulled up. They got in and Bulma told him where to go. The cabby glanced over his shoulder at his passengers and let out a low whistle. ((I always feel good making sure people who are drunk get home safely without causing an accident.)) he thought.

Bulma, Chi-Chi, and 18 walked into the darkened Capsule Corp and Bulma fumbled for the light switch. Chi-Chi found a couch and flopped down on it. 18 leaned on a wall. The light flashed on and Bulma sat down with Chi-Chi.

"My head's gonna hurt when I wake up," Chi-Chi said as he touched her forehead. "I know it's not all that late, but I'm pretty tired."

"Same here. What do you say we go to bed?" 18 sighed lightly and stretched.

"You guys can borrow some of my nightgowns. And lets brush our teeth so we don't have a nasty taste in our mouths come morning," Bulma suggested, and they went to get ready for bed. Eventually, they were ready and Chi-Chi and 18 each took a guest room. Chi-Chi snuggled into the covers and heaved a long sigh of contentment.

"This wasn't such a bad night," she murmured drowsily.

"Not from what I felt," Goku's voice said from the shadows of the room, and Chi-Chi jumped up too quickly and made herself dizzy again.

"Goku? What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be back until after tomorrow," Chi-Chi stared at him in surprise as he walked up to the bed's edge and sat down.

"Well, thanks to the bond, I could feel you getting drunk, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Goku explained.

"Oh, I'm fine! I won't be first thing in the morning, but right now, I'm just fine!" Chi-Chi smiled at him.

"Why did you go out drinking, anyway?" Goku asked as he reached out and stroked her long, soft black hair. His hand then trailed downward to caress her cheek.

"Drinking wasn't the goal, it was. . . just an unforseen side effect. We wives decided to have our own night out. While the husbands are away, the wives will play!" Chi-Chi answered, placing her hand over his on her cheek. "We figured if you could go off and have fun, so could we."

"I suppose that's true," Goku gave a short nod. "So, did you have fun?"

"Yes, I did. We had a nice dinner in a neat nightclub, and talked. And the wine was _very_ nice," Chi-Chi said. "We don't go out very often, do we, Goku?"

"No, we don't. Maybe we should," Goku said, and tilted his head to the side a bit. "I'm sorry you couldn't come with us, Chi-Chi. One of these days real soon, we'll do something, just the two of us. Okay?"

"Really?" Chi-Chi's eyes lit up at his words. Goku smiled and nodded.

"Really."

"I'd like that, Goku. I'd like that a whole lot." They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, and then he bent forward and kissed her sweetly on the lips. He then pulled back and stood up.

"Well, I need to head back. Goodnight, Dear. Sleep well," Goku said gently.

"Goodnight, Honey," Chi-Chi sighed and laid back down. Goku slipped back out the window and hesitated for a moment to watch his beloved wife drift into sleep.

Vegeta shook his head as he looked at his mate. Her reason for getting so drunk just seemed foolish to him. "You're going to be sick in the morning."

"I know," Bulma crossed her arms.

"Are you really that lonely without me?" Vegeta arched an eyebrow.

"You and Trunks. A bit. But hey, you're lonely without me, right?" Bulma asked as she leaned back into bed. Vegeta was quiet for a few seconds.

"Yes. But if you ever tell anyone that, I'll deny it," he smirked at her, and she smiled in return.

"Of course! I wouldn't expect anything less." Vegeta gave a small snort and walked over to the bed. He kissed her lightly and then headed for the window.

"I've got to go back. Goodnight," he said shortly.

"Goodnight," Bulma smiled.

The sunshine of early morning lit up the forest brightly, making Goku and Vegeta wince just a little. The hangovers their mates were suffering stabbed at their minds.

"Start without us," Goku instructed the others as he and Vegeta strove to clear their minds. Their mental barriers couldn't keep the pain out.

It was almost afternoon by the time Chi-Chi and 18 felt well enough to go home. They walked out into the sun and inhaled deeply.

"Want me to take you home, Chi-Chi?" 18 asked. Before Chi-Chi could answer, Flying Nimbus suddenly pulled up beside them. They all stared at the yellow cloud in bewilderment.

"Flying Nimbus? What's that doing here? None of us called it," Chi-Chi said, and then noticed the two folded pieces of paper on top of Nimbus. One had her name on it, the other had Bulma's name. She picked them up and handed Bulma the one with her name on it. Chi-Chi unfolded the paper and read aloud the note there. "'I sent Nimbus to take you safely home. The fresh air should do you some good. Love, Goku.'" Chi-Chi smiled a bit at the heart by Goku's name representing the word 'love.' "What does yours say, Bulma?"

"Mine? It says, 'Woman, never drink that much again. Vegeta.'" Bulma read her own note, sounding somewhere between amused and angry. 18 and Chi-Chi kept their laughter in and Chi-Chi climbed onto Flying Nimbus.

"It was fun. I'm glad we went," Chi-Chi told them.

"So am I," 18 agreed.

"I'm glad I thought of it," Bulma smirked a little. "Have a good day, ladies!"

"Bye, Bulma! Bye, Chi-Chi!" 18 said as she took to the air.

"Goodbye, Chi-Chi! So long, 18!" Bulma waved to them.

"Bye, 18! Bye, Bulma!" Chi-Chi waved in return to the blonde cyborg and the blue-haired business owner. Nimbus then shot into the air. Chi-Chi stretched a bit and enjoyed the warm sun. "Not such a bad night at all." she sighed happily. "I wonder, though - when will Goku take me out like he said he would?" The wind caught the words and carried them away, and Chi-Chi decided to leave that question for another time.

The End

I hoped you liked this, Serina! Happy Birthday!


End file.
